Preparing to upgrade your HGV licence

Whatever kind of driving licence you have, you can always find a clear way to work your way up to a full HGV licence, driving the very largest kinds of haulage vehicles.

The way you would do this is by upgrading your licence in stages, and taking a test to pass each intervening stage.

At Specialised HGV Training, we will provide you with all the guidance and resources you could possibly need to pass each of the tests, from reading materials to practice tests and practical training.

Here are a few of the most popular steps you might take with us, and what’s involved in preparing for, and passing, each test.

Cat C1

This is for the smallest type of haulage vehicle, and this is what the majority of professional van drivers have. This category of licence allows you to drive vehicles weighing between 3,500kg and 7,500kg, with or without a trailer weighing up to 750kg.

To prepare for this test you will need to read up on the potential questions you might get in the theory segment of the test, and you will also need to test your practical expertise with this kind of vehicle. Both of these things we can help you with.

Cat C1+E

Once you have got your Cat C1 licence, you can take the next step and upgrade it to a Cat C1+E. This is the licence you will need if you want to drive vehicles weighing between 3,500kg and 7,500kg, with a trailer weighing more than 750kg.

Again, you will be expected to pass a theoretical and a practical exam to get this licence, and we can help you with both.

Cat C

A Cat C licence is the next step once you’ve got your Cat B driving licence if you like, but you can also upgrade to this from a Cat C1 or C1+E.

With a Cat C licence, you can drive vehicles over 3,500kg, with a trailer up to 750kg.

As with the other licences, a theory test and a practical test will need to be passed first, so you will need to do some reading, rehearse practice questions for your theory test, and learn practical driving skills in this type of vehicle.

Cat C+E

The next step from your Cat C is the Cat C+E. When you have upgraded to your Cat C+E licence, you can drive category C vehicles with a trailer over 750kg. This is the highest licence you can get as an HGV driver and it gives you the widest range of vehicles you can drive, therefore the largest number of jobs to choose from. You’ll also find that you can usually command higher wages once you have this category on your licence.

To prepare for this licence, on top of having the right requirements on your licence in the first place, you’ll also need to study for your theory test and your practical test, and pass both before you can get the category added to your licence.